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The Indian Navy is conducting trials of the marine version of the Rafale fighter jets; the landing on the carrier was part of the trials to assess various parameters

The ‘Rafale-Marine’ fighter aircraft has successfully landed aboard the indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant on its maiden attempt, the Indian Navy said on Friday.

“The ongoing trials mark the first step towards operationalisation of the aircraft in the Indian Navy,” the Navy said in a post on social media platform X.

The Indian Navy is conducting trials of the marine version of the Rafale fighter jets. The landing on the carrier was part of the trials to assess various parameters. The trial was witnessed by the Navy’s Western Command Chief, Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan.

In April this year, the Navy placed an order for 26 such jets, which will be capable of taking off from and landing on the decks of either of the country’s two aircraft carriers.

Two weeks ago, trials of the aircraft and its various systems commenced at the Shore-Based Test Facility (SBTF) in Goa. The SBTF replicates the take-off ramp of an aircraft carrier. The Indian Navy operates two aircraft carriers, INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant, both of which have a ‘ski-jump’ take-off ramp. During landing, the aircraft is brought to a halt using a set of special steel wires installed on the carrier’s deck.

In April, India and France signed an inter-governmental agreement (IGA) for the procurement of 26 Rafale-Marine naval fighter jets. Under the Rs 64,000-crore deal, deliveries of the jets will commence in 2028 and conclude in 2030.

The deal goes beyond the conventional buyer-seller arrangement for military hardware and seeks to expand bilateral cooperation. It includes provisions for the transfer of technology to integrate India-made missiles.

Additionally, the aircraft manufacturer, Dassault Aviation, will establish a production facility in India to manufacture parts of the aircraft’s fuselage. A maintenance hub for engines, sensors and other systems will also be set up, giving a boost to India’s aviation ambitions.

Operationally, the jets will expand India’s offensive capabilities at sea. The Rafale-M represents a significant upgrade for the country’s naval aviation fleet since the Russian-origin MiG-29K fighters joined the fleet in 2011. Around 40 of these Russian-made jets operate from the Navy’s two aircraft carriers — INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant.

What are the new capabilities?

The Rafale-Marine will have a combat radius of around 1,000 km. Since it will take off from and land on an aircraft carrier, its operational range will be measured from the carrier’s position at sea.

The aircraft is equipped with specialised sensors and can carry a range of weapons, including the long-range Meteor air-to-air missile, the MICA air-to-air missile, which enables beyond-visual-range (BVR) interception, and combat and self-defence missiles.

The jet can also carry precision-guided weapons such as the HAMMER, besides the SCALP long-range stand-off missile.

Like other naval fighter aircraft, the Rafale-M has reinforced landing gear. An aircraft landing on an aircraft carrier in the middle of the sea does not have the luxury of a long runway to slow down and come to a halt. Therefore, it uses a tailhook to engage with specialised arresting wires installed on the ship’s deck, bringing the aircraft to a stop.

The Rafale-Marine shares significant commonality with the Rafale aircraft operated by the Indian Air Force (IAF). Its procurement will streamline training and logistics, as the two variants share several systems and components.

The deal includes weapons, simulators, spares, associated ancillary equipment, crew training and logistical support. The IGA also provides for the transfer of technology to integrate indigenous weapons into the aircraft.

It includes the establishment of a production facility for Rafale fuselage components, along with maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities in India for aircraft engines, sensors and weapons.

The transfer of technology for integrating Indian weapons will include the country’s indigenous Astra missile. This will also enable sourcing components from local suppliers and contribute to India’s efforts towards self-reliance in defence manufacturing. The Astra missile has already been integrated with the IAF’s Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter aircraft.

An instrument of integration and a mediating institution on the ground has been considerably weakened

Haseeb A Drabu

THE merger of the Jammu and Kashmir cadre into AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories) in 2021 and the recent appointment of the first AGMUT-cadre officer as Chief Secretary denote more than a change of personnel or the supersession of many senior officers. An institution that had long mediated access to State authority and resources in the Valley stands replaced.

The overhaul of the bureaucracy forms part of a wider effort to change the local configurations of power and influence. The J&K cadre functioned not only as an administrative tier but also as a network of personal ties, political affiliations and institutional memory.

This network was shaped by decades of interaction with the region’s political class. It facilitated and even enabled the reproduction of local power structures at the interface between society and the State. The bureaucracy wielded an embedded influence through which regional elites reinforced prevailing power hierarchies.

By superseding almost all seniormost officers of that cadre, decisive authority has been shifted to those drawn from outside its ranks. By doing so, the Centre has effectively mutated the administrative DNA of J&K. In a way, it completes the institutional eclipse of the J&K cadre.

This cadre was a consequence of the Presidential Order issued in 1958 under Article 370 of the Constitution. It specifically modified the application of Article 312 to bring J&K within the All-India Services framework and enabled recruitment and service conditions for the IAS (and IPS). The J&K Reorganisation Act of 2019 initially allowed the J&K cadre, but the 2021 ordinance merged it into AGMUT.

The J&K cadre structure of the local bureaucratic framework was rooted in domain knowledge, a certain continuity of administrative practice and personal networks. These have been now displaced by a more externally directed apparatus. It is a reconfiguration of the institutions through which power is exercised and legitimacy is mediated in the region.

The IAS officers, mostly outsiders, were a crucial link between the Centre and the state. While these officers were the eyes, ears and hands of New Delhi, they also played the role of intermediaries. With their feet on the ground in Kashmir, many of them conveyed the local sentiment in their communication to Delhi. Over time, representing the Kashmir sentiment got identified with the constitutional status of the state and the autonomist ideology of political parties. Warts and all, the cadre was as much an instrument of control as it was a channel of influence.

Gradually, it was felt that the cadre had been co-opted by the local political class, especially by the National Conference (NC) under Farooq Abdullah. During his tenure as CM, some officers who had powers beyond ordinary bureaucratic limits acted like the card-carrying members of the NC. Their proximity to a regional political dynasty largely influenced the bureaucracy’s approach to Kashmir.

Around 1989-90, when protests and public uprisings were at their peak, at least four of the seniormost officers were signatories to a representation addressed to the United Nations, protesting against human rights violations by security forces in the Valley. At least six IAS officers of the local cadre also submitted a report to the Governor, condemning excesses by the men in uniform against civilians. A memorandum by senior officers reached the Governor after the assassination of Mirwaiz Maulvi Farooq and the subsequent firing on mourners.

While Kashmiris later remembered the gesture fondly, critics within the establishment saw it as an instance in which serving officers of the All-India Services publicly aligned with the local sentiment against the actions of the Indian security apparatus. Delhi saw such instances as serious chinks in the Steel Frame. The national purpose of the Services as an administrative backbone that could rise above regional political alignments was steadily eroded.

The post-2021 structure has systematically reduced the space for officers who had both long local tenures and career incentives tied to the region. Once the last cohort with significant Valley socialisation exits around 2029, the channel that carried local sentiment upward (however imperfectly) will narrow further. This is less a question of individual officers’ attitudes and more a structural outcome of shorter average tenures and joint-cadre career paths.

The J&K-cadre officers, though outsiders, frequently shared the outlook of the dominant political class on questions of autonomy, land, employment and security. Of course, there were exceptions; some were viewed with suspicion.

This proximity eventually led to a certain bureaucratisation of politics. The pattern of co-option resulted in at least three former Chief Secretaries joining politics after (or even before completing) their tenures. While two became legislators, one became the finance minister. These transitions illustrate how the top of the service had become a revolving door into regional politics rather than a permanent national Steel Frame.

These structural features explain why the cadre merger of 2021 and the recent appointments and consequential change are read by many as more than administrative rationalisation. They are understood as a dismantling of an institution whose interests had become aligned with local political power.

The decimation of the J&K cadre is therefore double-edged. On the one hand, it removes officers who had deep local domain knowledge, be it of the revenue system, forest settlements, irrigation, power and the historical sediment of special status. On the other hand, it removes a cadre that had, in critical periods, become a channel to communicate the local sentiment.

Whether this produces better governance is an open question. An administration less entangled with local political regimes may prove more responsive to national priorities. It may also prove less capable of reading the social and historical texture of the territory it administers.

Once the last substantial cohort of the old IAS cadre departs around 2029, the Union Territory will be governed by a bureaucracy whose professional formation took place largely elsewhere and whose political allegiances will no longer be those of a co-opted state cadre.

That is the structural choice now being made. It resolves one long-standing problem of politicisation only by creating a new problem of administrative distance. In a region where history is an active force, the distance is not costless.

Such a reconfiguration of the bureaucracy as the principal instrument of governance signals that the restoration of full statehood — requiring the return of cadre autonomy and political control over the civil service — remains deferred well beyond 2029. The institutional architecture now in place treats the administrative apparatus itself as the durable mechanism of authority, rendering the revival of state-cadre independence a distant prospect.

The return of cadre autonomy and political control over the civil service is not merely one among several requirements of statehood — it is the necessary starting point for any genuine process of restoration. Without the capacity to direct the permanent executive, an elected government cannot exercise effective authority over the institutions that implement policies and allocate resources.

Credit: Greater Kashmir

Infantry Day commemorated

Need sustained vigilance: Army Chief reviews LAC op readiness

Divorced daughter entitled to family pension if divorce proceedings began during pensioner’s lifetime: AFT

Ferozepur Military Station wins top honours at Pan-Army, Western Command levels

Western Command to hold mechanisation technology seminar at Chandimandir on December 14-15

First Indigenous Sullage Barge Launched As Keel Laying Advances For Yards 144 And 148

India Invites Pakistan For SCO Forum In First High-Level Outreach Since Operation Sindoor

Army artillery, helicopters and more: Centre clears Rs 2.12 lakh crore deals; who gets what

Army officer accused in Rs 22.48 lakh bribery case to face trial in DA case

Navy’s ship-building efforts aim to meet global standards

25 rounds of military talks stabilised India-China ties, but normalisation hinges on border peace: Shringla

Sashastra Seema Bal chief Sanjay Singhal to hold additional charge of ITBP

ITBP & unsettled borders

Smit Machchhar, flydubai crew honoured by UAE President for bravery

Vijay Mohan

Lt Gen Pushpendra Singh, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, pays homage to the martyrs on Infantry Day at the Veer Smriti War Memorial on Tuesday.

The 80th Infantry Day was commemorated by Western Command at Chandimandir on Tuesday to honour the courage, sacrifice and steadfast service of the largest combat component of the Army.

The day marks the historic airlifting of the 1st Battalion of the Sikh Regiment, to Srinagar on October 27, 1947, to check Pakistani infiltrators, a defining action in safeguarding Jammu and Kashmir and the nation’s territorial integrity.

On the occasion, Lt Gen Pushpendra Singh, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, laid a wreath at the Veer Smriti War Memorial to pay homage to Infantrymen who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty.

Visits Uttarakhand, focuses on tech, radio outreach to border villages to counter misinformation

Army Chief Gen Dhiraj Seth on Tuesday reviewed operational readiness in forward areas of Uttarakhand along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and asked commanders on the ground to maintain “sustained operational vigilance” to address evolving security challenges.

The Army said, “General Seth emphasised the need for greater technology integration, continuous capability enhancement and sustained operational vigilance to effectively address evolving security challenges.”

The LAC, the de facto boundary with China, in Uttarakhand has seen an increase in troop deployments since April 2020, when the Indian and Chinese armies became locked in a military stand-off.

General Seth visited Mana and Joshimath in the Garhwal sector to review operational preparedness and initiatives undertaken by the Army to promote border area development and empower local communities.

The Army Chief was briefed on operational readiness, combat preparedness and ongoing infrastructure development projects in the sector.

Interacting with troops, General Seth commended their professionalism, dedication and resilience in safeguarding the country’s frontiers. Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh fall within the ‘central sector’ of the LAC with China.

The two countries’ special representatives — National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi — have been discussing the finalisation of the boundary delimitation. The ‘central sector’ is among the segments under discussion.

During his visit to Mana, the first village on the Indian side near the LAC, General Seth was briefed on efforts to strengthen border communities by promoting tourism, preserving the region’s rich cultural heritage and creating opportunities for socio-economic development.

Sources noted that radio broadcasts in Uttarakhand’s border areas had acquired a new dimension over the past two years. Transmitted on the frequency modulation (FM) band, the programmes cater to local populations in their own dialects, address day-to-day concerns and subtly counter misinformation along the sensitive border. The Army’s Sadbhavana initiative is funding and managing the technology required to operate these FM radio stations under the Vibrant Villages Programme.

The broadcasts cover a range of topics, including fruit cultivation, hyperlocal weather patterns, snowfall forecasts, agriculture, tourism, education and career guidance. The stations also help counter misinformation and connect isolated communities with the Army.

In addition, the programmes provide information on government welfare schemes, healthcare initiatives and recruitment opportunities in the Army for the local youth.The broadcasts cover a range of topics, including fruit cultivation, hyperlocal weather patterns, snowfall forecasts, agriculture, tourism, education and career guidance. The stations also help counter misinformation and connect isolated communities with the Army.

In addition, the programmes provide information on government welfare schemes, healthcare initiatives and recruitment opportunities in the Army for the local youth.

AFT rules that divorce proceedings initiated during the pensioner’s lifetime can establish eligibility, even if the divorce decree is issued years later

The Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) has held that a divorced daughter of a deceased veteran is entitled to family pension if divorce proceedings were initiated during the lifetime of the pensioner on whom she was dependent, even if the divorce decree was issued several years later.

Havildar Radhey Shyam Kashyap was enrolled in the Army Medical Corps (AMC) in September 1965. Upon his discharge from service in October 1989, he was granted a service pension. He died in July 2009, following which ordinary family pension was granted to his wife until her death in January 2024.

After her death, the applicant, claiming to be the divorced daughter of the deceased soldier, submitted a representation to the defence authorities in April 2025 through the Zila Sainik and Punarvas Board, seeking family pension on the grounds that she had been dependent on her parents before their deaths. Her request was denied.

She claimed that her marriage, solemnised in January 1999, ran into difficulties after the birth of her son and daughter in 2000 and 2001, respectively, and that all attempts at reconciliation had failed. She submitted before the AFT that she had been dependent on her parents at the time of their deaths and was entitled to family pension as a divorced daughter. She had filed a maintenance suit in 2006.

The government, on the other hand, contended that her parents had neither approached nor informed the AMC Records about the marital discord. It further submitted that she had applied for a divorce decree in May 2024 and that the marriage was dissolved in December 2024, after the deaths of her parents.

The AFT Bench, comprising Justice Suresh Kumar Gupta and Maj Gen Sanjay Singh, observed that the first case in the matter had been filed by the applicant’s husband in 2002, when her parents were alive. Since then, three more cases had been filed by both parties against each other in 2006, 2017 and 2024, during which she was granted maintenance allowance.

“The gist of the case is that due to matrimonial dispute, after filing of cases against each other, the applicant while residing with her parents, became dependent on them,” the Bench said.

“In our considered opinion, although the divorce decree in the said case was passed on 17.12.2024, the dependency of the applicant on her parents shall be counted from the date of filing of the first divorce case in the year 2002 as the litigation was in process for all these years which came to an end on 17.12.2024 when her parents were no more. Therefore, the final decree of mutual divorce is the result of continuous matrimonial dispute which originated in the year 2001,” the Bench ruled.

The Bench also referred to a letter issued by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions in July 2017, which stipulates that family pension may be granted to a divorced daughter if divorce proceedings were pending during the lifetime of the pensioner.

Setting aside the July 2025 order denying family pension to the daughter, the Bench directed the authorities to grant her family pension with effect from December 2024, along with arrears, within four months.

Ferozepur Military Station has emerged as a leading example of sustainable military infrastructure, securing top honours at both Pan Army and Western Command levels in the Best Clean, Green & Sustainable Military Station Competition 2026. Gen Manral received the award from General Dhiraj Seth, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) in New Delhi. The achievement underscores the Station’s commitment to environmental stewardship, decarbonisation, cleanliness and community engagement, in keeping with the Indian Army’s vision of sustainable military stations. The recognition is a matter of immense pride for the people of Ferozepur, reflecting the meaningful contribution being made by one of their own towards motivating youth, strengthening community engagement and contributing to nation-building. At the Western Command level, the Station secured First Position in two categories: Best Station Inspiring and Motivating Surrounding Areas and Best Transformational Station. The awards were presented by the Army Commander in Chandigarh on 27 October 2026. These achievements reflect the Station’s sustained efforts towards environmental conservation, waste management, resource efficiency and community participation, contributing to the Indian Army’s commitment to sustainability and the national vision

MTS 2.0 to focus on upgrading existing military platforms for future combat; first edition last year saw participation of over 200 industry representatives

The Western Command will organise the second edition of the Mechanisation Technology Seminar (MTS 2.0) at Chandimandir Military Station on December 14 and 15, bringing together the Army, industry and academia to showcase innovations, bridge operational gaps and accelerate indigenous capability development for mechanised forces.

Being held in collaboration with the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM), this year’s theme is ‘CHAKRA – Transforming Existing Platforms for Future Combat’, a defence spokesperson said in Chandigarh on Monday.

A curtain-raiser for the event was held at the Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi on Monday, presided over by Lieutenant General Pushpendra Singh, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command.

An initiative of the Western Command, MTS 2.0 aims to enhance the combat effectiveness of mechanised forces by transforming existing military platforms into technologically advanced, capable and future-ready combat systems.

The seminar will focus on combat capability enhancement, harnessing technology, adaptability, kinetics, refurbishment and self-reliance, with an emphasis on translating operational capability gaps and requirements into clearly defined problem definition statements (PDS).

The curtain-raiser outlined the broad vision and key areas of focus for the seminar, highlighting the importance of technology-driven modernisation, civil-military collaboration and self-reliance in strengthening indigenous defence capabilities.

It also provided a platform for interaction among military users, industry representatives, academia and other stakeholders to deliberate on the modernisation of existing platforms, indigenous technological innovation and emerging operational requirements.

MTS 2.0 reflects the Indian Army’s continued commitment to capability enhancement, technological transformation and self-reliance in defence.

By providing a focused platform to translate operational requirements into practical and implementable technological solutions, the seminar seeks to strengthen collaboration among the Armed Forces, the defence industry and academia, while enhancing the operational effectiveness, resilience and combat readiness of mechanised forces in the evolving battlefield environment, the spokesperson said.

At the first edition of the MTS last year, over 200 representatives from the defence industry participated, and 51 cutting-edge defence products were demonstrated.

These included innovative solutions for combat vehicles, sensor-based warfare, digitalised command and control systems, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, advanced armour protection, next-generation communication networks and enhanced firepower solutions aimed at keeping the Indian Army’s mechanised platforms future-ready.

The Indian  Navy marked three significant milestones in its indigenous auxiliary vessel construction programme on 26 October 2026 at Suryadipta Projects Pvt Ltd, Thane, announced PIB.

Tour Navy Ships

The occasion saw the launch of the first Sullage Barge, Yard 142, alongside the keel laying of the third Sullage Barge, Yard 144, and the first Bottom Opening Dumb Barge, Yard 148.

The launching and keel laying ceremonies were attended by Rear Admiral Kapil Mehta, Assistant Controller of Warship Production and Acquisition (ACWP&A), who served as the Chief Guest.

These developments form part of separate contracts awarded to Suryadipta Projects Pvt Ltd, an MSME shipyard based in Thane. The contract for four 300-ton Sullage Barges was concluded in November 2024, while the contract for three Bottom Opening Dumb Barges was signed in January 2026.

Yard 142 represents the first Sullage Barge to be launched under the program, while Yard 144 marks progress on the third vessel of the class. The keel laying of Yard 148 also signals the commencement of construction of the first Bottom Opening Dumb Barge under the contract.

The vessels have been indigenously designed and constructed by the shipyard in collaboration with an Indian ship design firm and the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS). The project highlights the growing contribution of domestic industry, including MSME shipyards, to India’s naval shipbuilding ecosystem.

Once delivered, the barges will support the operation of Indian Navy platforms and assist in meeting MARPOL environmental compliance requirements relating to the handling and disposal of waste generated by ships.

The program also reinforces the Government of India’s commitment to indigenous  defence manufacturing and self-reliance. These barges are described as proud flag bearers of the “Make in India” and “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” initiatives, demonstrating continued progress in strengthening domestic maritime capabilities.

India has invited all 10 member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), including Pakistan, to participate in the inaugural SCO Civilizational Dialogue Forum, scheduled to be held in New Delhi from 20 to 22 November.

The event is intended to deepen cultural engagement, encourage people-to-people connections and promote greater mutual understanding among SCO countries.

The invitation has drawn attention because it marks the first formal invitation extended to a senior Pakistani minister by India since the launch of Operation Sindoor in May 2025. The military operation was undertaken in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack and led to a further deterioration in already strained relations between the two neighbouring countries.

Diplomatic sources indicated that Pakistan’s Minister for National Heritage and Culture, Aurangzeb Khan Khichi, has been invited to attend the forum. Should he accept the invitation and travel to India, it would be the first visit by a senior Pakistani minister since former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari attended the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Goa in May 2023.

The announcement regarding the dialogue forum was made by  Defence Minister Rajnath Singh during the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on 20 October. Addressing representatives of member nations, Singh confirmed that invitations had been extended to all SCO countries for the inaugural gathering.

“At the end of this year, India will host the first SCO Civilisation Dialogue Forum. We invite all SCO countries to participate in it,” Singh said.

The proposed forum reflects a broader SCO emphasis on fostering cultural exchanges alongside economic, political and security cooperation. The initiative is expected to provide a platform for discussions on heritage, civilisation, cultural preservation and intercultural engagement among participating nations.

During the same meeting, Singh reiterated India’s long-standing position on terrorism, urging member states to adopt a consistent and uncompromising approach. Stressing the need for collective action, he said, “There should be no double standards in dealing with terrorism, and no place for those who finance, support or provide safe havens to terrorists. The entire ecosystem of terrorism must be firmly and collectively dismantled.”

Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister, Ishaq Dar, was present during the meeting where these remarks were delivered, underscoring the continuing interaction between the two countries within multilateral forums despite bilateral tensions.

Pakistan currently holds the rotating chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of State for the 2026-27 term, having assumed the position on 1 September following the summit in Bishkek. The development places Islamabad in a significant role within the organisation even as political and security-related differences with New Delhi persist.

The SCO currently comprises 10 member states: Belarus, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India became a full member of the Eurasian grouping in 2017. Afghanistan and Mongolia remain observer states, while the organisation also includes 15 dialogue partners, highlighting its growing regional and international influence.

The invitation to Pakistan for the New Delhi forum signals India’s willingness to continue engaging through multilateral platforms under the SCO framework, even as broader bilateral relations remain affected by security concerns and unresolved diplomatic differences.